A Minute on Syria: Across Lines of Conflict

Many of us think that the crisis in Syria is a political one. But it is not — it is a children's crisis, and it is among the biggest in the world. Over 2 million children are affected by the violence in Syria, and over half a million children are refugees. While UNICEF and its partners are doing everything they can to help affected children and families, UNICEF’s efforts are severely underfunded. If funding is not received in the next weeks, millions of children will suffer. We are urgently calling on the entire donor community to support UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in and around Syria.
Ted Chaiban is UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programs. In the video below he gives a firsthand account of the impact of the conflict on Syria’s children. This is the third of five, one-minute videos we are posting on FieldNotes. Many of us think that the crisis in Syria is a political one. But it is not — it is a humanitarian crisis, and it is among the biggest in the world. Over 2 million children are affected by the violence in Syria, and over half a million children are refugees. And they are in immediate need of our help. While UNICEF and its partners are doing everything they can to help affected children and families — from supplying clean water to vaccinating children to providing education and child-friendly spaces — the effort is severely underfunded. UNICEF needs $220 million to respond to the needs of Syrian children, but so far has only received 28% of the required funds. If funding is not received in the next weeks, millions of Syrian refugee children will miss out on vaccinations, hundreds of thousands will lose access to clean water, and tens of thousands of children will no longer be able to attend school. We are urgently calling on the entire donor community to support UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in and around Syria. Syria’s children desperately need your help. Please donate.